John Hopkin's - TheBody.com's Bulletin Boards

I agree, don't bother Dr. Joel with Worried Well questions. The only ones he replies to are the daftest and funniest ones, which usually get stuck in the Favorites category.

Some of them are well worth reading (see below - I kept a file of my own favourites in my window period, just to remind me from time to time what it was like to laugh at things again, so hopefully if anyone's in the same situation, it might help to do the same for you)

P.S. If anyone thinks he seems a bit brutal at times, note:

1. he makes clear its a site for HIV-infected individuals and those who care about them to ask questions about treatment or clinical manifestations of HIV infection

2. he does it in his own time for free

3. sorry, but some of the questions really do deserve the answer he gives them (I'm glad I never sent one in, being honest looking back I can remember having some very similar questions and fears as some of them!)

Here goes! (Be warned, there's loads of them)

P.P.S. I'd be interested to know if anyone has a particular favourite and why.

aids
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (03-Mar-1999)

Question

1.Is the disase named for the pathogen that causes it, the symptoms of the disase itself, or the locale where it was first described?

2. What is the pathogen? What is its scientific namd and its particular "life history" or life cycle? What hosts does it live in? wht does it do inside its host(s)? Does it always cause illness?

3. Describe the "ecological history" of aids. When the disease pathogen infects humans, what happens to the human hosts?

Answer

Even though I haven't seen your finished homework assignment yet, I'm giving you a D. A clever student who was trying to get someone else to do his homework for him would have been less blatant about it. He would have asked his three questions seperately, and would have changed the language to make it sound less like it was copied straight from the assignment.

The purpose of these projects is not simply to learn the answers, but to learn how to find them. You'll learn very little by having me do your work for you. Good luck in your research.

BREAST SUCKING
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (02-May-1999)

Question

10 Days ago,after several drinks I visited a lowly topless bar where I had the (Topless slut)do a lap dance on me. My ONLY contact was --sucking her breast for 1 minute !!! All the Hotlines I called-CDC, etc. said I am at NO-RISK for HIV or HEP-B. My Doctor said the same. My concern, however, is "what if she had a cut or bite on her nipple that I did not notice??? I am going crazy with what-ifs!!! My Doctor put me on Xanax and recomended I do nothing---but I cannot sleep at night. Prior to this one -1 minute episode -- I have been TOTALLY-CELIBATE (honest) for 20 years!!!! THANKS DOCTOR

Answer

Hypocrisy, not HIV, is your problem. Be careful using words like "lowly" to describe an establishment you willingly patronized and "slut" to describe a woman who wouldn't be working if you weren't willing to part with your cash to satisfy your fantasies. You might just be describing yourself!

I want to have fun in Brazil!
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (11-May-1999)

Question

Hello,

I'm going to Brazil. I'm wondering if it is safe to hire the sex-workers in that country as long as a condom is worn? Please advise. Thanxs!

Answer

The last thing I need to do is give you "permission" to have sex with a prostitute so that you can come back after your trip and write to me every day in ALL CAPS telling me that you're afraid that even though the condom broke, you MIGHT have had a hang-nail and some vaginal secretions MIGHT have gotten into your blood stream even though you washed your hands in bleach and gasoline for twenty minutes after the encounter and you're worried because your teeth itch and the part of your hair has switched sides and your toenails are growing faster and these MIGHT be symptoms of HIV infection and even though you've had 12 HIV tests and 6 PCR tests and your lymph nodes have been biopsied twice you are worried that the prostitute MIGHT have a type O strain because after all she lives in Brazil and you KNOW about those Brazilians and PLEASE DOCTOR WON'T I PLEASE PLEASE ANSWER AND GIVE YOU SOME PEACE OF MIND BEFORE YOU CRACK UP!

Or maybe that wouldn't happen, but either way, if you're grown up enough to have sex you're grown up enough to decide what's safe. Bon voyage!

Home Access at 24 Weeks?
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (11-May-1999)

Question

Dear Dr,

I hope you understand my terror. After sex with a pro in Novemeber I developed a sore throat, cough, and a fever. My mouth also went incredibly dry to the point my tongue hurt. My dr. tested me at 10, 12, 16 and 20 weeks via ELISA - all negative for HIV 1. Now he refuses to test me any more. He won't do a viral load or any other test. He says if I want any more tests to call Home Access and not waste his time. I told him I wanted to get on AZT/3TC/Sustiva immediately. He "laughed" and told me I needed therapy. Needless to say this wacko is no longer my doctor. Imagine a medical professioanl being so blantantly ignorant of this infectous virus. My girlfirend left me because I'll no longer have sex with her, not even with a condom and I'm about to lose my job. Do you think I can trust the home access test at week 24? Or should I find a doctor who will perform the VL test? WHAT CAN I DO TO GET MY LIFE BACK?
Thank you kind sir,
G in Philadelphia

Answer

You should have listened to the wacko.

More on Brunts
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (13-Oct-1999)

Question

Deer Doctor:
I have been having bad bruns every mornig sometines before and after I take my food. My doctor told me that I need to see a specialit and make sure that my brunts isnt low. Did this sound like good advice to you or should I see a difrrent docter? My last Aides test came back neagtive. Thank you so much for answering my questions.
Andrew
ps: can you tell me what burnts are? My docter told me it has to be specially diagnoosed in Haawai.

Answer

I believe this is the second time you've asked me about bruns, brunts, and burnts, and as I said in my last answer, I have no idea what they are. They're certainly not in my medical dictionary. One reader thought you meant "burns," but it's clear from this question that that's not what you mean. Please enlighten us... we're all eager to solve this ongoing mystery.

Risk from a brief blow-job
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (07-Nov-1999)

Question

I'M ASKING FOR A PERCENTAGE. I CAN'T FIND ONE.

WHAT IS THE PERCENTAGE OF GETTING INFECTED THIS WAY:

A WOMAN HAS YOUR PENIS IN HER MOUTH FOR 10-15 SECONDS. SHE THEN LICKS ALONG THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SHAFT WITH HER TOUNGUE UNTIL ORGASM.

WHAT IS THE RISK PERCENTAGE? SAY IF 1,000 PEOPLE DID THIS AND THE WOMAN WAS INFECTED. HOW MANY INFECTIONS WOULD OCCUR?

I CAN'T FIND THIS ANSWER ANYWHERE. YOU'D THINK AT THIS STAGE IN THE EPIDEMIC THERE'D BE REASONABLE ANSWERS ABOUT TRANSMISSION AT LEAST.

THANKS

(IF YOU ARE WONDERING. THE ANSWER IS YES. THAT IS MY RISK EXPERIENCE.)

Answer

I'm glad you asked that question. As a matter of fact, a recent seroprevalence survey was conducted in which 10,230 men suffering from premature ejaculation whose sexual activity was confined entirely to receptive oral sex were asked about their sexual practices and tested for HIV. Average duration of felatio in this cohort was 16.32 seconds. Three men in this cohort were HIV-positive, but all three had a history of injection drug use. In addition, a total of fourteen randomized, double-blind, multicenter clinical trials have been conducted evaluating the risk of female-to-male transmission through oral sex. In 12 of these trials, HIV-infected women performed oral sex on paid uninfected student volunteers. Four of these trials specifically address the issue you raise: fellatio of 15 seconds duration in which the woman stimulated the inferior aspect of the penile shaft with her tongue until orgasm had been achieved. The total number of male subjects involved in these four trials was 176. There were no cases of transmission among these 176 subjects, although genital herpes was believed to have been transmitted in two cases, and a substantial proportion of the volunteers sought treatment for premature ejaculation. The conclusion from these studies (a meta-analysis is in progress) is that female-to-male transmission is unlikely to occur during felatio, especially when the duration of the act is embarrassingly brief.

I hope you know that I'm putting you on. But I also hope that my answer points out the absurdity of your question... all of you people out there who keep DEMANDING STATISTICS and PERCENTAGES should think before you ask. Just how is it that such statistics are to be generated? Common sense will not only keep you out of trouble, but it will also keep you from asking dumb questions.

Oral Sex Clarification
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (10-Nov-1999)

Question

Just to clarify your smarty-pants answer to my oral sex question. The woman had my penis completely in her mouth very briefly. She then concentrated sucking and licking along the shaft of my penis for maybe 10 minutes. So the entire act wasn't 10 to 15 seconds, just the amount of time my penis was in her mouth.

I may have been out of line looking for a percentage, now I understand that.

Does the lenght of time affect the risk by being the recipient of oral sex?

Answer

You really are a glutton for punishment, aren't you? Read my "smarty pants" answer one more time and see if you can't figure out how I'd go about answering your second question if I had the energy.

Undiscovered Viruses and Disease
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (14-Nov-1999)

Question

Hi doc,

After I had protected sex with a prostitute I developed a floater (within a month), I had a rash and sore throat too. I tested negative around 22 weeks after this. So I'm sure I dont have HIV. Since my test I've been very careful, I only have protected sex, and I only recieved oral sex once without protection.

Now, since this isn't HIV I'm thinking there are STD viruses that are not discovered and I have one of them. How do you find out if you have a yet to be discovered disease?

I asked my Doc for a refferal to an infectious disease specialist he refused. I called several infectous disease specialists in NYC/Philly and Princeton. None of them show any interest in studying me. So if they ignore cases like mine, how are they ever suppossed to find new viruses?

I'll bet there are new viruses RIGHT NOW brewing in people and I think the CDC or someone should be on the lookout for them.

Knowledge and action are the best lines of defense against our biological enemies.

Any thoughts?

Answer

Thanks for the warning. I'll call the CDC right away and tell them to be on the lookout for new viruses. It probably hadn't occurred to them.

I want to show you my tongue
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (23-Nov-1999)

Question

HOW DO I UPLOAD A GIF FILE OF MY TONGUE SO YOU CAN TELL ME IF I HAVE THRUSH?

Answer

Sorry, buddy... it's a clever idea, but I'm not your physician and I have no desire to see your tongue. Show it to your doctor.

PEP-appropriate?
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (25-Nov-1999)

Question

Last evening, at a butlered AIDS benefit, I took a swig of champagne from a glass which turned out to be someone else's--that smear of crimson red lipstick on its rim certainly wasnt mine. I returned the glass to the ledge on which it had been sitting and kept an eye out for its owner. My fears were rewarded when an emaciated crossdresser in a hideous emerald green sheath returned and reclaimed the glass. My wife pulled me outside, telling me that my screaming was inappropriate, then refused to take me to the emergency room for PEP. What are the chances, statistically speaking, of contracting the virus this way? My wife just tells me to shut up about it, still I noticed that her goodbye kiss this morning was a dry one. There is also what appears to be a whitish patch a centimeter square on the underside of my tongue. Thanks, in advance, for answering this. I have checked the archives of your website but do not find my situation addressed.

Answer

Somehow, I let this little gem sit on my unanswered list without posting it. The "hideous emerald green sheath" is a stroke of genius. Thanks to whoever sent it... could it be MW? I know you're out there.

Soft skin!!!
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (19-Jan-2000)

Question

Dr
I'am the guy who posted a question 2 weeks ago about ITP/Norwegian girl and never got an answer. I described symptoms like blood pooling, and pattern imprinting easily on my skin.
I was reading the answers to recently asked questions "More questions on hair loss? 01/18/2000" and there is a description there of soft skin (textured surfaces imprinting...).
I was supposed to get my test results last friday.I can't bring myself to do that because i don't know what to expect.
Is the soft skin symptom a common manifestation of HIV infection?
Thank you in anticipation.
God Bless you.

Answer

Since the early years of the AIDS epidemic, AIDS sufferers have been plagued by the ravages of "soft skin," a condition previously only reported to affect the behinds of babies and the hands and faces of fashion models. The sudden appearance of soft skin among young men in urban areas was one of the sentinel markers that drew epidemiologists' attention to this new global pandemic. In some cases, the heartbreak of soft skin drove sufferers to suicide, as it served as a public stigma, announcing their affliction to the rest of the world. Others tried to erase the tell-tale signs with Lava soap and even sandpaper, but the results were short-lived.

There is now evidence that highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) can reverse this process, though sometimes at the expense of fat wasting or fat accumulation ("lipodystrophy"). For many suffers, the trade-off is well worth it. "I may have sunken-in cheeks, a buffalo hump, and a pot belly, but my viral load is undetectable, and THANK GOD, I no longer have soft skin," said one patient who was happy with his triple-drug cocktail.

Scientist have not yet worked out the pathophysiology behind the "AIDS-Related Soft Skin Syndrome" (ARSSS), as it is now called. Perhaps at the upcoming Retrovirus conference in San Francisco, or at the World AIDS Conference in Durban, we will gain a better understanding of this puzzling and tragic complication of HIV infection.

Follow up to Soft Skin
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (25-Jan-2000)

Question

Dr
Thank you very much for your response to my previous question.I hope you can find the time and the patience to clarify something for me.
In your response dated (jan 19,2000) you stated: "...a condition(soft skin) previously only reported to affect the behinds of babies and the hands and faces of fashion models...".
Does this mean that a diagnosis of soft skin (in a young male)is a diagnosis of HIV?

You also referred to the condition as "AIDS Related Soft Skin Syndrome". Can i infer that it only occurs when a person is diagnosed with AIDS and not in other stages of HIV infection e.g. primary infection.(I experienced the condition and still am 8-9 weeks after my possible exposure to the virus).

After getting your answer i went ahead and got my test results with the expectation of getting a + one. It was negative @19 weeks and 5 days after my possible exposure.

I would really appreciate any thoughts and feedback you can offer to these questions.If not possible i would be gratefull if you can point me to a source where i can find some info.

I have a thesis to defend in 3 months and i just need to know.
Thank you again and god bless you.

Answer

You poor, poor thing...you thought I was serious. I'm dumbfounded. If it wasn't obvious from my answer that I was joking, I'll have to hang up my feeble attempts at humor. There is absolutely NO link between HIV and soft skin.

Go ahead and defend your thesis. I think you'll survive for another three months. (I hope you're not planning on introducing your defense with a joke!)

Beastiality
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (29-Feb-2000)

Question

Doc G,

I'll be honest. I love to butt ram my horse (im serious). Can HIV be transmitted this way? He is a small horse.
the question is serious

DAS

Answer

You can say you're serious until you're blue in the face, but I don't have to believe you. It's not that I don't believe such things happen--these things have probably been going on since the dawn of animal husbandry. (In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if that's where that strange word came from!) What I CAN'T believe is that someone would seriously be concerned about this as a mode of HIV transmission. Do you believe that your horse has HIV and you're worried about your own risk? Or do you have HIV and are afraid of giving it to the horse?

There are plenty of other things you should be worried about if you persist in buggering your horse: besides the obvious ethical issue (did he consent?) there is the risk of getting kicked or stepped on. HIV transmission, however, is not an issue here.

Infection Risk and Rubbers
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (03-Jul-2000)

Question

Dr Gallant,

IS it possible for a person to be infected by a Rubber just used on someone else? Is the high risk? Does this type exposure warrant PEP in your opinion? Thank you for your reply.

Sincerely,

Answer

Using a rubber just used by someone else may warrant a psychiatric evaluation, but not PEP.

Lymph Nodes
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (12-Sep-2000)

Question

Hi,

I know this is dumb questions, but I can't get an answer that I feel comfortable with. Exactly where and how can you tell if your lymph nodes (in your neck area) are enlarged. I thought for sure my were and the ENT informed me that what I was feeling was my carotid artery. How can you know what you are checking.

Thanks

Answer

You could go to medical school.

My sperm come in contact with my blood!
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (01-Oct-2000)

Question

during my recent masturbation my sperm accidentally came in contact with my wound n i do not have HIV+ can i contract HIV after this happen?

Answer

Are you really, honestly, truly, seriously asking me if you can catch HIV from yourself??? If you're old enough to masturbate, you're old enough not to have to ask such a question. The answer is no: HIV transmission requires the participation of someone who is infected. But maybe you ought to wear a condom in the future...just in case!

Hiv tests
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (04-Oct-2000)

Question

What should you ask when you go to a lab for an Hiv test to make sure that the test they are using is reliable? What tests are not reliable? Thanks

Answer

The scenario I'm imaginging sounds like something out of Monty Python:

"Hello, I'd like to get an HIV test. Are the tests your lab uses reliable?"

"No, we prefer to use the unreliable tests. Did you want to be tested using a reliable test?"

"Yes, I'd prefer a reliable test."

"Oh, I see. Well, for reliable tests, we recommend that you go to the lab on the next block."

"Thank you very much."

"My pleasure."

Aids/restaurant workers
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (23-Oct-2000)

Question

The other day, I was eating at a restaurant (fast food). When I was finished, I noticed there was blood on my napkin (very small amount which I could easily have not seen) which I'm almost 100% sure wasn't mine. I have eaten at this restaurant before and the person who served me is a known homosexual. I had eaten my meal with my hands and was constantly wiping them on the napkin, although I'm not entirely sure I ever touched the blood at all. What is the risk of contracting the virus this way? Or the danger of a HIV infected person cutting themselves while perparing food in a restaurant?

Answer

Unless you ground up the napkin and injected it into your veins or inserted it in a place where it doesn't belong, you don't have a thing to worry about. HIV-infected food-service workers do not pose a risk to restaurant patrons.

Combining you and your partner's results into one?
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (18-Jan-2001)

Question
I had a one-time, unsafe sexual encounter with a gay male acquaintance who was kind enough to be tested 10 weeks later. His ELISA result was neg., as was mine at 6, 9½, 12 and 20 weeks.
Can my 20 week and his 10 week results be combined into one overall result, and if so, what are my chances of being HIV-?

For example, if we both tested neg. at 3 months and assuming a 95% certainty; i.e., a 1 in 20 chance of being HIV+, would our combined neg. results at 3 months indicate an overall 1 in 400 chance of my being HIV+?

To take this a step further, if the chance of being HIV+ after 6 months is infinitesimally small, would my overall chances at 6 months be (infinitesimally small)² ?

Answer
I think your chances of becoming a full-fledged looney are astronomically high if you continue this line of thinking. You had sex with an HIV-negative man and you tested negative four times. Are you going to go through this again every time you have sex??? Maybe you're just one of those people who should stick to masturbation.

I had a semen encounter,..and I'm not gay!!!
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (09-Apr-2001)

Question
I was in one of those booths in a dirty movie video store where you can switch to like 60 channels that all have different pornos. I was watching purely HETEROSEXUAL stuff. After I took care of business I noticed I got A TINY BIT on my hand, and I wiped my hand under the seat. When I looked at my hand next it was COVERED IN THE STUFF, SOMEONE ELSES!! It must have belonged to the guy who was in the booth before me. Yech!!

I did have a small cut at the base of my palm that was somewhat fresh.

Obviously the guy in there before me was some kinda perv, and he may have had HIV, so I got tested. I got some kind of test that looks at DNA about 5 weeks later (it cost almost $500!!!) and the AIDS counselor told me it me it came back "undetectable",..I also got 3 anti-bodie tests and they were all "non-reactive".

I got the last anti-bodie test about 2 1/2 months after the ugly encounter. But now my throat keeps feeling weird - not really sore, just weird. And my neck feels,...puffy,..on some days. And then some days it feels stiff.

So what's the deal? Do I got da hiv? My neck and throat seem to think I do.

Answer

Semen on the hand does not constitute an HIV risk, and is not an indication for the kind of excessive testing you've undergone, even if you are a 100% bona fide HETEROSEXUAL and the source of the semen was a HOMOSEXUAL PERV WITH HIV!!! Speaking of which, if the guy in the booth before you was "some kinda perv," what would that make you?

Pushy Stripper
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (10-Apr-2001)

Question

I was in a strip club and a stripper was sticking her fingers
in her vagina and letting people have a whiff. A minute or
so after she stuck her finger in she came over to me. I didn't
want to offend her so I put my nose near here finger and
smelled. But she actually took her finger and pushed it between
my lips. I have no idea why she did it because it's not like we had any kind of rapport or anything. I didn't taste much. I thought nothing of it at the time. Now i am thinking of it though. Is this a risk?

Have people been infected like this before?

Answer

How very thoughtful of you, to avoid giving offence to the nice lady by sniffing her finger! And how generous of her, to put her fingers in your mouth even though you had not yet established a rapport. It sounds like a charming place all around, full of thoughtful and considerate people!

Have people ever been infected this way before? If they have, I'm sure we'll never know. It would be possible to transmit other sexually transmitted diseases this way--syphilis, gonorrhea, and herpes for example--but not HIV. I wouldn't lose any sleep over this...but next time, try a video.

out of 1000?
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (11-May-2001)

Question

Dr. G

If a 1000 men were to get a blowjob from a HIV + female how many statistically would get infected?

Answer

Probably none, but I'll bet the poor woman would end up with a very sore jaw!

Immediate Symptoms?
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (18-May-2001)

Question

I ask this question because I am unsure about incubation time for acute symptoms. It may be helpful to your readers to clarify.

A few weeks ago I stayed up until five in the morning Friday and Saturday nights, studying. On Sunday I went out for much of the day, during which it rained and we all got wet.

We went to a bar on Sunday evening and I left quite drunk. Later that evening I did something I had never done before and paid a prostitute to give me oral sex. I used a condom she supplied. I was not quite erect and it did not quite go all the way up my penis. I felt really bad about it and asked her to stop after a few minutes without ejaculation and left to walk to a nearby train station.

I did my trousers up but kept the condom on until I got to the station toilets, where I removed it. As I did so I noticed a thread of something mucousy connected to the rim of the condom. It may have been yellowish but the condom was also bright yellow. I am worried that during the walk to the station some mucous or something from her mouth may have run inside the condom and that might have been what I saw.

I stayed up until about 2.30 am. On Monday, I spent most of the day working, and I did not eat until dinner except I had a small snack around 4pm. I felt tired and had little appetite, and I could only eat some chips about 6pm.

I went to bed about 7pm, and slept until 11am Tuesday. When I woke up Tuesday I was trembling, and had a temperature just under 100 C. I also had slight sore throat and may have had very slightly swollen, painful glands under my jaw and a really uncomfortable stiff neck with sore muscles.

It is now two and a half weeks later and I have had the symptoms described above and a temperature ranging from 98 - 100 C since then. My neck and face often feel very hot, and I have a lot of mucous in my mouth.

I am in my early twenties.

Is this likely to be Acute Retroviral Syndrome, and am I likely to be infected with HIV?

Answer

You left out some crucial information:

1. What did you have for a snack on Monday at 4:00 PM?

2. What kind of chips did you eat at 6:00 PM?

3. What did you do in between?

But seriously, now...think about it. A woman briefly licked a condom that you'd placed over your semi-flacid penis. A day and a half later you felt sick. Do you REALLY think this is how one becomes infected with HIV???

SIV
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (23-Aug-2001)

Question

What can you tell me about SIV and any treatments?

Answer

Since SIV only affects monkeys, who tend to be poorly insured, it is not usually treated.

Transmission via teatowels
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (24-Aug-2001)

Question
I have been tested 7 months after possible exposure. Negative.

However I continue to have symptoms loss of weight, cramps, nausea, fatigue, sore throat,and other things. My sons are getting frequent blood noses after swollen glands under the chin and my daughter increased period pain and

My family and friends are also experiencing similar symptoms.

I saw a report on TV that a football association had tested players shirts and claimed that the virus can live for up to a week in the clothing even after being washed as it is an ideal environment for the virus. They also claimed normal clothes detergents do not kill the virus.

two questions:

1. are there other tests I should have?

2. what are the research findings on longevity of the virus through teatowels that could have been washed with clothes that contain significant amounts of blood eg bloody napkin, underwear? Could glasses cleaned with these towels transmit the virus?

graham

Answer
At the present time, we have no data involving teatowels, but the evidence with bathtowels is far more substantial. In fact, here at Johns Hopkins we've received several millions dollars from the NIH to wash cotton bathtowels in high-tech, scientifically calibrated washing machines (both front loaders and top loaders) along with a variety of other materials containing HIV-infected blood. (We've got underwear and handkerchiefs, but no napkins...sorry.) Of course, the results won't be available for years, but we do expect the French and Spanish teams to complete their research within a few months. Extrapolation to the U.S. experience may be difficult however, because they tend to use those tiny but expensive little washing machines that fit in their tiny little apartments, and they use detergent with funny names. Unfortunately for you, no studies are being performed using teatowels, so you may not find these results helpful. Stay tuned, though, for reports from the 1st International Conference on Laundry Science and HIV Transmission, to be held in Ames, Iowa, this November. We plan to devote an entire issue of the Hopkins HIV Report to this important meeting.

OK, I got that out of my system, and I feel much better! Now, let's deal with you. It's bad enough when people come to me with their hypochondriasis, invoking bizarre and impossible scenarios to try to explain how they might be able to attribute their sniffles or aching back to HIV. But when they start suspecting HIV in their friends and family, as well, it becomes downright SICK! Get some help, buddy!

Am I dying from AIDS?
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (17-Sep-2001)

Question

Dear Doctor Gallant

I'm going crazy here. Please help me. I have never had sex (anal, vaginal or oral) or shared needles. My only risks are hand jobs and sucking of one high risk woman's right breast on one occasion in 1995. Yet, I have recurrent folliculitis and jock itch. I've also been suffering from insomnia recently. Can it be possible that I'm slowly dying from AIDS?

Thanks.

Answer

Are you suggesting that you're DYING from folliculitis, jock itch, and insomnia? I always thought the human body was more resilient than that! Your question conjurs up an image of a hospice full of dying patients, each of them covered with little red dots, wide awake at 3:00 AM, furiously scratching their crotches as they slowly fade away...

Teacher with a question from a pupil
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (17-Sep-2001)

Question

Good Morning,I am a teacher in high school.One of my students asked this question today an I thought you could give a better answer then me.Why is it more likely to be infected with having intercourse then from having oral sex?There is know way to have either one without having body fluids mixing from saliva and so on .Please explain the reason the risk facters are so much different,Thank You Sir John

Answer

If you think you can trick me into answering this otherwise deletable question by claiming to be a high school teacher, you're going to have to try harder. Either you're lying about your profession, or the quality of secondary education has suffered considerably since I was in school. Surely any high school teacher would know to put a space after a punctuation mark, would know how to spell "factors," would know the difference between "no" and "know" and between "and" and "an," and would never say "so much different" or "a better answer than me." You'll never get your question answered by submitting it under false pretenses!

(You may, however, get it answered by browsing through the "HIV Transmission and Prevention" archives.)

Infected fluid got on fresh cut. Advice please!
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (18-Sep-2001)

Question

Doctor, I was reading a new book in a public library located in downtown San Fran. 6 weeks ago. I accidentally cut my finger when flipping the pages. It was very unfortunate that I got an upset stomach. So I ran to use the bathroom. Two men holding each other's hands came out of the toilet room when I opened the door. I rushed in as soon as they went out. However, I touched some jelly-like fluid (still warm) on the door knob when I locked the door and the fluid got onto my cut (half bleeding). The room had some semen smell. There was some semen like fluid mixed with some red liquid (very likely to be blood) on the rim of the toilet seat. My finger (with a fresh cut) touched it when I cleaned the seat with a piece of tissue. The liquid got on my cut. However, I did wash it after finishing using the bathroom (3-4 minutes later). If the fluid were hiv infectious, which is very likely, the virus could not have died so quick--the time between their coming out and my entering was just 2-3 seconds. Some rashes (about 10-12) appeared on my chest and neck after about 14 days of the exposure and have persisted for 4-5 weeks; I have muscular ache in my armpit and neck, cold limbs,... Are these ARS? If you were in my situation, were you going to get tested?

Answer

If I were in your situation, I'd come up with a more believable story: This one is clearly invented. There are plenty of clues, but the most glaring is the fact that the two men were holding hands after leaving the toilet stall. Two men might hold hands while strolling through the park or while sitting in a movie theater, but I don't think they would hold hands after a sexual assignation in a toilet stall. This is quick, anonymous sex, not a romantic interlude. Marriages are rarely made in toilet stalls, and if they already knew each other before, they'd probably have found somewhere else to go. Try again.

Foot fetish and hiv PLS answer
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (28-Sep-2001)

Question
Dear Dr
There are some confusing info on the web concerning about infectivity of saliva.Recently I have been with a Hiv+ women(Idid not know at that time) and received protected Oral sex .During the foreplay she sucked my toes for few minutes.Unfortunately I had fungal infection at that time and I got very worried.Do you think that I should consider testing .
PLS answer my question.

Answer

I think you should get some antifungal cream and warn sex partners about your athlete's foot before you let them suck your toes. You've got a nerve worrying about HIV infection when some poor HIV-positive woman has had to lick your nasty fungus-infected feet!

Semen in the atmosphere
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (16-Oct-2001)

Question

SIR
i respect you and have gone through your wed for a year i am a newly born doctor but the fact is that i want to calcullate logically i would be obliged if you answer my question : my question is ;| "I HAD A SEX WITH COMERTIAL WOMEN I KNOW SHE IS HIV + BUT WHEN I HAD SEX I MADE MY SEMAN FALL OUT IN ATMOSPHER;BUT AS MY URETHRA WAS ERRECT I DID SEX AGAIN BUT THERE WAS NO FALL OUT AT THIS SITUATION .WHEN THERE IS NO MEDIA FOR HIV TO TRANSMIT DO YOU THINK SIR THAT I MAY BE INFECTED PLS ANSWER I WOULD BE OBLIGED'
THANK YOU:YOUR FAITFULL
S'W' JADHAV

Answer

Dear Newly Born Doctor,
I include this question because it's priceless...one of those few that would merit inclusion among the "Favorites" even without an answer. But to answer your question, your risk of HIV transmission as the insertive partner has nothing to do with where the semen goes. Whether it's ejaculated into the vagina, on the sheets, or is now dispersed into the "atmosphere" makes no difference. Your risk comes from penetration, not ejaculation. That's why we recommend condoms for all "erect urethras."

Cutting infected portion of the body
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (17-Oct-2001)

Question

Dr. Gallant,
I had a small fresh cut on my finger. I regret that I didn't cut my fingers off right away after touch some blood-like and sperm-like fluid on the toilet seat! Now I have been worried for months waiting for the window period. I think I should have trade my finger for not being infected by HIV! Do you think it would work if the infected part is cut off immediately so the virus can not circulate through the blood stream?
Abel

Answer

Abel,
I think you're the kind of person who should be kept away from sharp objects.

Will chloroxylenol help kill the hiv virus?
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (18-Oct-2001)

Question

Dear Sir,
I had sex with a sex worker recently (7 days ago). After ejacuation, while takeing out the penis from her vagina , i saw that the condom had broken.(I do know that the condomn broke in the second half and i may have been inside her vagina without the cover for 5-10 min) She said it broke cause she was not lubricated inside.
Not being as educated about hiv as i am now, I immediatly washed my penis with pure dettol (dettol is an antiseptic and contains chloroxylenol) and then sat in the tub of hot water with a lot of dettol in it.
The next day the whole skin of my penis and testicles was rubbery and is now peeling. The skin is dry and peels the new skin from inside feels and looks normal. I did not have any blisters or open sores on my penis then or now.

1) Since the dettol burnt the top level of the skin does that mean that the virus if present could get through after the epidemal layer of the skin was burnt by dettol. Or because of a massive pH change the hiv virus was rendered ineffective.

2) I now have a small cold sore on my lip and a small mouth ulcer does that mean i am infected. I Have not been able to sleep or eat well for the whole week.

I shall be grateful if you would answer my concerns. Thanks in advance. I really appriciate your takeing the time to answer questions and creating such a good knowledge base of hiv questions.

Answer

Maybe people should have to pass a test and get a license before they have sex. You clearly weren't ready. Be glad you still have skin!

White stain!
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (28-Oct-2001)

Question

Dear doctor,
I am submitting this question as it has been greatly worrying me. Please answer it! An answer from you will greatly put my mind at ease.
Some days ago I needed to change clothes and the only place to do it was in the toilet. I put my clothes on the toilet seat. When I took the clothes off at night, I noticed a small white stain on the back of the clothes. Four days after, I washed the shirt in question by hand.
What worries me is that the small white stain may have been semen. When I washed it I had some small cuts and grazes on my hands (none of them bleeding). I did not think about it at the time, but now it is worrying me greatly - I am worried that there was some virus on the shirt and that when washing it it could have got into my body via the cuts and grazes on my hands.
I would like to know whether I am at any risk of HIV infection. Could the virus remain viable for that time in a dry environment?
Thanking you in advance for your answer.

Answer

I was naive enough to think that with airplanes crashing into buildings and anthrax being sent through the mail, people would realize that there were legitimate threats to worry about and they would stop worrying about imaginary ones. Clearly, I was mistaken. Even now, a 4-day old white stain on a shirt still retains its capacity to inspire terror!

Why not me?
By Joel E. Gallant, M.D., M.P.H. (17-Nov-2001)

Question

i have hads sex with 256 women and they all had std's but i don't have an STD, why?

Answer

I don't know, but for a guy with such a good memory (or record-keeping system), you sure have lousy taste in women! 256 out of 256! Where are you meeting them...at an STD clinic?

Post Extras: Remind Me!